‘La Traviata’ at San Diego Opera: Grand Opera in the Modern World

Andriana Chuchman and Zach Borichevsky in "La Traviata" by the San Diego Opera in 2025. J. Katarzyna Woronowicz/San Diego Opera

On the final weekend of April, San Diego Opera (SDO) concluded its 2024–2025 season with three performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata.” It’s quite appropriate that the company ended its triumphant 60th season with a production of the most-performed opera in the world. Having performed in this opera myself last year, but never seen it live, I was excited to see this production.

The closing show of “La Traviata” was the fourth SDO performance I’ve seen during the last three seasons. I thoroughly enjoyed all three previous productions I watched, finding very little to criticize in terms of artistry, beauty, and, most importantly, traditionalism. While “La Traviata” also had many of these qualities, I was surprised by some aspects of the production.

A Grand Opera

The word “opera” often has the adjective “grand” attached to it. Those not well-versed in the art form might automatically picture huge theaters, massive orchestras, lavish sets, opulent costumes, and large voices to match the large figures on the stage. People who are more familiar with opera’s nuances will recognize that this description is just one facet of this multi-dimensional art form. Nevertheless, the grand opera is a very important part of the classical singing tradition, yet one which is becoming increasingly rare. The grand Italian opera is well-represented by the dramatic masterpieces of Giuseppe Verdi, such as “La Traviata.”